Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns saw their College Football Playoff hopes cut short for the second consecutive season, falling to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl semifinals. Now, the program is preparing for several key changes.
When Sarkisian arrived at Texas in 2021, he brought in Terry Joseph for the DPGC role. However, Joseph has now accepted a similar position with the New Orleans Saints, joining Kellen Moore’s newly assembled coaching staff.
Despite the loss, Sarkisian appears to have already secured a replacement. On Monday evening, Rivals’ Anwar Richardson reported that Texas has hired veteran defensive backs coach Duane Akina for the role. “According to my sources, veteran defensive backs coach Duane Akina has been hired to replace Terry Joseph,” Richardson wrote on X. “Akina spent more than a decade with the Longhorns from 2001-2013 and coached at Arizona last season.”
https://x.com/AnwarRichardson/status/1894175255330984410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1894175255330984410%7Ctwgr%5E94462a1ccf065f651a0b990735b662dbe5810033%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fathlonsports.com%2Fcollege%2Ftexas-longhorns%2Ftexas-makes-coaching-move-duane-akina-ahead-of-2025-season
Akina has been coaching at the collegiate level since the 1979 season, holding various roles, including offensive and defensive coordinator.
Most recently, he served as a defensive coordinator and analyst for the Arizona Wildcats during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
This won’t be Akina’s first stint with the Longhorns—he previously spent over a decade in Austin as the defensive backs coach from 2001 to 2013. Additionally, he was Texas’ co-defensive coordinator from 2005 to 2007, a period that included the program’s most recent national championship victory.
